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Reposted by Benny Hawksbee

Liam Olds @liamolds.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Enjoyable afternoon spent at Kenfig National Nature Reserve with @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social and @scotsguyinwales.bsky.social. The highlight was Black-headed Leafcutter Bee (Megachile circumcincta) - a pretty rare bee in Wales. We found at least two males patrolling patches of bird's-foot-trefoil.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

♀️ 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎 feeding on common Daisy on the lawn outside the Tate Britain. It highlights for me, one of most important and overlooked habitats for the majority of our solitary bees and wasps: seemingly boring bits of patchy ground. These are invaluable for so many important species

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Great to observe a mating pair of 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 (Gwynne's Mining bee) in Eden Nature Garden, Clapham, yesterday. A species that nests in slightly looser sections of our hoggin paths and now in the mounds of sandy ballast we introduced (from skip salvaging)

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑠 ♂️ (Black Mining bee). This male was just about enough to separate from nigrospina. A v.pleasing record from last 2 yrs. We knew they were a few miles away but with the introduction of local, fine sands into the garden (natural soil is heavy clay), we now have them on site, it seems.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Last August I was fortunate to catch and release two of these magnificent little (~5mm) wasps from the inside window. If my ID is correct, they are 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠 endoparasitoids of Burnett moth larvae. We have lots of Knapweed & Burnett moth on site, so it does make sense. South Essex.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Its Cuckoo wasp 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑎 which came shortly after... (First chimneys spotted June 7th. Host spotted June 22nd, looking to be at the end of its life. Cuckoo spotted June 28th). June 28th, 2024. Hilldrop, South Essex

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

𝑂𝑑𝑦𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑠 (Spiny-legged mason wasp) successfully nesting in our home-made 'cob gabion' in south Essex. My next post will cover the parasite that came a week or so later...

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

09.03.2025. Very nice aggregation of 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 underneath a large Quercus robur at West Lodge arboretum, Barnet, North London.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

First ♂️ 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑖𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎 of 2025. 08.03.2025. Enfield, London.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

7-spot ladybird plus 16-spot ladybirds (~500 overwintering on one old Hornbeam) in the under threat Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, London.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

♂️ 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑠 yesterday (07.03.2025) in South Essex.

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Reposted by Benny Hawksbee

Lucy Houliston @lucyhouliston.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Mine and @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social’s episode of the Our Plant Stories podcast is here! 🌱 Listen and read more about our morning spent meeting bees and celebrating weeds in a London community garden at www.ourplantstories.com/episodes/luc... @theorchardproject.bsky.social @rhulbiology.bsky.social

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

One of the UK's snail-nesting bees. 𝑂𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑎 (Spined Mason bee) This one is a male and you can just about see the spine/barb on Sternite 1, on photos 2 and 4. It also has the 10+ little teeth on the edge of tergite 6. Salisbury Plain. June 30th, 2024.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Jewel Wasp 💎 𝑃𝑠𝑒𝑢𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠 August, 2024

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Just found this is the kitchen, in a cereal bowl. 🫣 2 mm long. 1mm wide. Anyone have a rough idea?

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

𝑂𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑠 (Blue Mason Bee) Eden Nature Garden, London. March 30th, 2024

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

𝐻𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑎 𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑎(Adonis' Ladybird) yesterday. About to fly...

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑟 (Rosy Woodlouse) October 2024. Camden, North London, UK

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Jumping spider (Salticidae) on the lounge ceiling yesterday. (Very likely to be a non-European species, I'm informed)

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Look at this handsome Greek Andrena ♂️ mining bee from the Prespa region last May...

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

A 'stylopised' Andrena chrysosceles mining bee from spring this year. You can just about see the 'stylop' (a family of endoparasites) sticking out of the abdomen. Stylops can cause the female bees to have male and female characteristics, as I understand it. It can also make ID trickier.

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Benny Hawksbee @bennyhawksbee.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Hard to believe we have bees like this in the UK, right? Epeolus sp. I found in amongst an aggregation of Ivy bees this September. Species very likely to be Epeolus variegatus but no voucher taken to be 100%